Monday, 18 July 2016

Love In The First Degree Anthology - Raising Money for The Innocence Project

It's been a while since I posted and that's mostly because I have been working on this project I want to share with you today!

Those of you who have read this blog before, know I've talked about Making a Murderer a lot. That documentary has literally changed people's lives, and brought people together. If you watched it too, you'll also know that the situation Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey found themselves in left many feeling upset and frustrated, searching for things they could do to help.

Well. I'm not a lawyer, I'm not rich, I'm not the best super sleuth. What I am is a writer. And so, one of the things I knew I could do is help raise money for The Innocence Project. I think the Innocence Project is a hugely important organisation, and not only did I want to help them raise money, I also wanted to raise awareness of what they do.

Before I share the details of the book with you, I just want to extend a thank you to some amazing people. Firstly, my co-authors, Clare, Kirsty-Anne, Allana, and Laura. You have been fabulous!

I also want to thank my MaM besties, Paula Grabow, Gemma Cosgrove, and Rich Donovan (plus all of you others - you know who you are!). You three have provided me with laughs, inspiration and joy, and I can't imagine a life without you in it!

To Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos - thank you for bringing not only the Averys' story to our attention, but shining a light on the flaws in the criminal justice system. What you have done is nothing short of incredible.

And to Jerry Buting and Dean Strang - thank you for showing that there are still people of integrity in the world. It's easy to forget sometimes. You guys haven't had the easiest time of it - but please know that you did a great job back then, and you're still doing a great job now!

And on that note... I bring you the project!

Together with some of the UK's best indie authors, I created Love In The First Degree. Here are all the details you will need:

Description: Love In The First Degree is a collection of short stories written by seven authors who have come together to help raise money for The Innocence Project. This anthology includes stories by Laura Morgan, Allana Walker, Clare Dugmore, Kyra Lennon and

Kirsty-Anne Still.

Each story speaks of crime, passion, determination, and most importantly, intense romance that will leave you thinking about the characters long after you have finished turning the pages.

Being wrongfully accused of a crime could happen to anyone, anywhere, and The Innocence Project works hard to overturn wrongful convictions and help innocent people get back to their real lives where they rightfully belong. All proceeds from sales of Love In The First Degree will be donated to The Innocence Project.

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Author: Laura Morgan

Title: Ensnared

A hand outstretches amidst the chaos of a brutal attack, offering safety and protection—but only in the arms of a villainous gangster who certainly isn’t going to be good news. Take it and accept the consequences? Or refuse and risk losing it all in the aftermath?

What seems like a good idea at the time ends up being the turning point in her life, but how will things pan out, and will she be able to survive the consequences of her decision?

Because when you fall from the frying pan into the fire, you’re going to get burned…****

Author: Allana Walker

Title: Believe

What happens when the one guy you thought would protect you, doesn't? What happens when your own family and friends turn against you in your time of need? What happens when all you want is someone to believe you? What happens when the one person you least expect does? Find out how one girl’s life turns upside down only to turn back with a few simple words... "I believe you."

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Author: Clare Dugmore

Title: Seeking The Truth

Erin Reynolds has been on the West Midlands Police force for seven years. She’s seen some strange things in the line of duty, but nothing quite like this.

On her first day working as a detective Erin witnesses something that makes the whole department question her sanity, and leads to her being sent on a leave of absence.

Desperate to prove what she saw was real, Erin tracks down the only other witness, Arcane Specialist Morgan Jackson. The occult expert is as infuriating as he is charming. When the killer leaves a disturbing message on her answer phone, Erin is forced to work with Morgan in order to catch the culprit and get her job reinstated.

The hunt takes them around the West Midlands, visiting a flirty priestess, a druid on the wrong side of the law and a sorcerer from Morgan’s past. As Erin learns more about the supernatural world, she also realizes there’s more to Morgan than just his sarcastic wit and arcane knowledge.

She's drawn to him almost as deeply as she is to the truth of what she saw. Her feelings for him are bought into sharp when Morgan gets on the wrong side of the murderer and it's up to Erin to rescue him, and stop the occult forces plaguing the area before the darkness takes over.

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Author: Kyra Lennon

Title: Reasonable Doubts

Darcy Ryan is a woman on a mission.

A mission to take down the corrupt cops who ensured her best friend, Matteo Torres, went to jail for a crime he didn’t commit – the murder of his wife, Rebecca.

Darcy is willing to do just about anything to prove his innocence, including getting up close and personal with the case’s lead detective, Finn Drake.

She knows she’s playing a dangerous game, but it gets more dangerous then she could have ever imagined when she discovers everything she thought she knew about Rebecca Torres was wrong, and Finn Drake isn’t the man she thought he was either.

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Author: Kirsty-Anne Still

Title: Love Me Not

Synopsis: I love him. He loves me. Our love story was that easy. I stuck by that, making sure he knew I was his person, his rock when he was arrested for murder. A murder that I knew he didn’t commit. But here I am, breaking his heart, unravelling our love story. All to save him. I’d break his heart – and mine – a thousand times over if it clears his name. *** I wasn’t raised to be a good man. I was loved to be one. She was the one constant when my world started falling apart. Until she wasn’t. I was no longer the man I had become. I was a murderer, a criminal, a broken man. She started to see me as the murderer I was branded, but mark my words, this doesn’t end here. When I’m a free man I’ll tear this world apart to get her back.

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About Laura Morgan

Laura Morgan writes dark and powerful romance novels. She’s a hopeless romantic with a dark side. Be warned, she may give her characters their Happily Ever After, but makes them work hard for it!

Kyra Lennon was born on the South coast of England, and to this day, still lives by the sea. Fiction writing has always been her passion, but she also has numerous articles on a variety of topics published on prolific websites.

Kirsty-Anne is a British author who stumbled across her love for writing just as she started university. Over the last couple of years she's found the style of writing that best defines her and her work. Her favourite genres to write are romantic suspense with dark themes, but loves to push her boundaries.